Multiple unit printing press



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MULTIPLE UNIT 4PRINTING' PRESS original Filed Jan. 29.41951 2 sheets-sneer 2 BY M45 l ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE UNIT PRINTING PRESS Application January 29, 1931, Serial No. 512,029 Renewed January 11, 1934 11 Claims.

My invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to a novel arrangement of printing units 'and driving means therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a press in which a web may be printed on one side with a single impression and on the other with a plurality of impressions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a web printing press comprising a multi-color lo printing unit in combination with an ordinary single color printing unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide in combination with a perfecting press unit in which opposite sides of a web each are printed in l5 a single color, a multi-color unit adapted to print a plurality of., colors on either side of the web as may be desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a common driveA for a single impression unit and a multiple-impression unit with means for reversing one of said units with respect to the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide separate motors for the single and the multipleimpression units with means for synchronizing the motors so as to preserve perfect register of the printing by the two units.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a separate motor drive for each unit and a detachable coupling for the two motors where- 30. by they mayI be mechanically synchronized.

A further object of the invention is to provide a web printing press comprising a plurality of press groups each including a perfecting press unit and a multiple impression unit, the webs of the several press groups being led to ac ommon folder.

Other objects y.of the invention will appear in the following description of a preferred embodi-l ment and thereafter the novelty and scope of the invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view in end elevation of a web press comprising two press .A5, groups, each group being adapted to print in one color on one side of the web and in five colors on the other, the webs from the two groups being run into a common folder; and

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of one of the The two press groups yshcwnin Fig. 1 are'substantially identical and the following description which is directed particularly to the group shown at the left in the drawings may also be read on the Yother group, except that the reference nu- (Cl. 27o-5) merals of corresponding parts of the latter group are designated with the suffix a,

The left hand press group consists in general of a lower deck A and an upper deck B with a driving motor C therefor situated between the 60 decks. The lower deck A comprises an ordinary perfecting press unit consisting of a pair of plate cylinders 10 and 1l with their respective impression cylinders 12 and 13, each of the plate cylinders being provided with the usual inking mechanism. symmetrically disposed with respect to the cylinders is a guide roll 14 about which a web 15 may be led either to the cylinder 11 or to the cylinder 13, depending on which is to receive the rst impression. A pair of compensating rolls 16 70. and 17 are provided above the impression cylinders. e

The motor C which is mounted between the two decks ldrives the impression cylinder 12 by a chain belt 18 which runs about a sprocket wheel 75. on the shaft 19 of the motor and another sprocket wheel on the shaft of the cylinder 12.

The upper deck B comprises a multiple impression unit in which a single impression cylinder 20'serves a plurality of plate cylinders 21, 22, 23 80 and 24 respectively. Each plate cylinder is provided with its individual inking fountain so that the color of the impressions made with the several plate cylinders may be independently varied.

In order to maintain perfect register of the printing cylinders in one deck withv respect to those in the other'they are preferably driven by the same motor. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2 there is a chain belt 25 running from a sprocket wheel on the motor shaft 19 to a sprocket wheel 26 90' on a shaft 27 of the impression cylinder 20. However, it is necessary in some cases (as will be explained hereinafter) to reverse the iinpression cylinder 20 With respect to the im- 95 pression cylinder 12 and hence the sprocket wheel 26 is not xed to the shaft 27 but drives said shaft through a suitable reversing clutch. A clutch of this kind is shown in Fig. 2. It comprises a bevel gear 28 xed to the sprocket wheel 100 26, a bevel gear 29 journaled on the shaft 27, and an idler 30 meshing with the gears 28 and ,29 so that said gears will turn in opposite directions. Splined upon the 'shaft 27 between the gears 28 and 29 is a clutch sleeve 31 formed at 105 opposite ends thereof with teeth adapted to engage clutch teeth in the adjacent end face of the gears 28` and 29 respectively. `A hand lever 32 permits of sliding the clutch sleeve into engagement either with gear 28 or gear 29, de- 110 pending upon the direction of rotation of shaft 27 that may be desired.

As shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the web 15 is led to the left hand side of the guide roll 14, thence it passes between cylinders 10 and 12, about the compensating roll 16, around the impression cylinder 13, and between said cylinder and the second plate cylinder 11. The web, thus printed on both sides, is then guided by rolls 33, 34, and 36 about the motor C to the impression cylinder 20 and thence it passes between the cylinder 20 and the plate cylinders 21, 22, 23 and 24. Rolls 37, 38 and 39 then guide the web out of the deck B.

Obviously, the cylinder 20 must turn in reverse direction with respect to this cylinder 12 and hence the clutch is set as shown in Fig. 2 so that the shaft 27 will be driven through gear 28, 30 and 29. It will be observed that the side of the web which receives its impression from the plate cylinder 11 will also receive impressions from the plate cylinders 21 and 22, 23 and 24. However, the other face of the web receives only one impression namely that from the plate cylinder 10. Since each impression may be of different color, the web may be printed in' five colors on one face and one color on the other.-

If it be desired to reverse the arrangement and print the five impressions on the opposite face of the web the latter is led to the right. hand side of the guide roll 14 and thence between cylinders 1l and 13 as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1. Thereafter the web passes about the compensating roll 17 and about cylinder 12 to receive an impression from the plate cylinder 10. The web is then guided by rolls 40 and 41 around the right hand side of the motor and is led about the guide roll 38 and 37 to the impression cylinder 20, passing between said cylinder and the plate cylinders of deck B in the reverse direction, that is in the order 24, 23, 22 and 21. Thus, in this arrangement, the face of the web that receives its impression from cylinder 10 receives impressions from the plate cylinders in the upper deck B. Obviously, the impression cylinder 20 must now turn in the same direction as cylinder 12 and hence the clutch sleeve 31 is thrown into` engagement with the gear 28 to provide direct drive of the cylinder 20. The rolls 36 and 35 serve to guide the web out of deck B, and thence the web is guided by rolls 42 and 43 over the press unit and on to the folder as will be explained presently.

In order to permit of reversing the multiple impression units, a special reversible inking system is employed for each of the plate cylinders of said units, because the direction of rotation of the fountain and pick-up rolls cannot be reversed without requiring a reorganization of the entire inking system. In the reversible inking system I employ, the fountain and pick-up rolls always run in the same direction, as usual, while the ink drum runs in fixed direction with respect to the plate cylinder with which it is associated, and hence is reversed whenever said cylinder is reversed. To permit of such reversal two distributor rolls are provided between the pick-up rolland the ink drum. These distributor rolls are shiftable from a position in which both are operative, to a position in which one is an idler. This is,clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, in the inking systemV of cylinder 21, wherein the position ofthe distributor rolls 211 and 212, when the cylinder 20 is reversed, is indicated by broken lines. Normally (when the cylinder 20 is turning in the direction of the arrow) the sition and then roll 21 conveys ink directly from roll 214 to ink drum 213, while roll 212 runs idly.

In the two arrangements so far -described the multiple impressions in the upper deck are made on the side last; printed in the lower deck. However, the web may be run through the two units in such direction that the multiple impressions will be made on the side first printed in the lower deck. If the web is led through the perfecting press in the direction indicated by broken lines, it may be led from the roll 41 about the roll 35 and thence-to the multiple-impression cylinder 20, as indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. Thus the multiple impressions may be applied to either face of the web without reversing the direction of rotation of cylinder 20.

In Fig. l, I have shown two double deck press groups, but any number of units may be provided as desired, all feeding into connnon folder 45. The web 15 from the left hand group must pass over the intervening right hand group (or groups if there are more than two in the press) to the folder. When the web 15 is passed through the press in the direction indicated by full lines in Fig. l it is led from the roll 39 over rolls 46 and 47 above the intervening press group and then passes down under roll 48 to the folder 45. The web 15a of the group located immediately adjacent the folder 45 is led directly to the folder from the roll 39a.

The broken lines indicate the course of the webs 15 and 15a to the folder 45 when they pass in reverse direction through the printing units. It will thus be seen that I have provided a flexible system in which one or more webs may be printed in a plurality of colors on one face of each web and in a single color on the other face, and the particular face which is to receive the plurality of impressions may be selected at will.

While I prefer to use a single motor C for driving both decksin some cases, as for instance when the size -of motor required would be too bulky, it may be preferable to use two motors, one driving the lower deck and the other the upper deck. Thus, in Fig. 2 I show in broken lines a second motor C' connected by a chain belt 25' through reversing clutch 31 to the shaft of the impression cylinder 20. When twogmotors are thus used the chain belt 25 may be dispensed with, so that the motor C will drive deck A only and motor C deck B only. The two motors C and' C are preferably mounted in axial alinement so that they may be coupled together by a detachable coupling 50. By me'ans of this coupling the two motors are compelled mechanically to turn in synchronism so as to preserve perfect register of the impressions made by one deck with respect to those made by the other. When the two motors are thus coupled they constitute virtually a single power plant. But whenever desired half the power plant may be cut 011 by detaching the coupling.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that this is to be taken as illustrative and not as limitative and that various changes may be made in fo construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

: l, In a printing press, a perfecting press unit,

a multiple-impression unit, said` units being adapted to print upon a common web and being disposed in superposed relation one to the other, and a common driving means for the units and disposed between said units.

' mounted in superposed 2. In a printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple-impression press unit, said units being adapted to print upon a common web and being disposed in superposed relation one to the other, a common driving means for the units and disposed between said units, and means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around said driving means.

3. In a web printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple-impression unit mounted in superposed relation thereto, a. common driving means for vsaid'units, said driving means being disposed between the units and comprising a pair of motors mounted in alinement with means for coupling the motors together at will, and means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around said driving means.

4. In a web printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple-impression unit mounted in superposed relation thereto, a common driving means for said units, said driving means being ldisposed between the units and comprising a pair of motors mounted in axial alinement with means for coupling the motors together at will, and means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around either side of said driving means.

5. In a web printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple-impression unit mounted in superposed relation thereto, a common driving means for said units, said'driving means being disposed between the units and comprising a pair of motors mounted in axial alinement with means :for coupling the motors together at will, means forreversing one unit with respect to the other, and means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around either side of said driving means.

6. In a web printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple-impression unit, said units being relation one to the other, a common driving means for said units and located therebetween, and means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around said driving means, said driving means comprising a motor for each unit and a detachable coupling for coupling said motors together at will.

7. In a web printing press, a perfecting press unit, a multiple impression unit, said units being mounted in superposed relation one to the other, a common driving means for said units, means for guiding a web from one unit to the other around said driving means, said driving means comprising a motor for each unit and a detachable coupling for coupling said motors together at will, and means for reversing one unit with respect to the other.

8. In a web printing press, a multiple impression unit comprising an impression cylinder, a plurality of plate cylinders arranged symmetrically about the impression cylinder, a reversible inking system for each plate cylinder, means for reversing the unit and its inking systems, and means for guiding a web through the unit in the direction of rotation of said unit.

9. In a web printing press, a multiple impression unit comprising an impression cylinder, a plurality of plate cylinders arranged in diametrically opposed pairs about the impression cylinder, 4a reversible inking system for each plate cylinder, means for reversing the unit and its inking systems, and means for guiding a web through 'the unit in the direction of rotation oi said unit.

10. In a web printing press, the combination with a printing unit adapted to print on opposite faces of a web, of a multiple impression unit adapted to print on one of said faces, said units being disposed one above the other, driving means disposed between the units and adapted to drive the units in synchronism, means for reversing one of the units and correspondingly reversing the direction in which the web passes therethrough.

ll. In a web printing press, the combination with a printing unit adapted to print on opposite faces of a web, of a multiple impression unit adapted to print on onel of said faces, said units being disposed one above the other, driving means disposed between the units in synchronism, means for reversing the multiple impression unit and correspondingly reversing the direction in which the web passes therethrough.

HENRY A. WISE WOOD..

the units and adapted to drive Mil lid@ 

